A look at what's going on in Trinidad, on H Street, and in the larger area north of Capitol Hill.

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Info on Development @ the Florida Market

photo of the fish room at Kang's Farms in the wholesale food district

Someone sent me this link on development at the Florida Ave Market (4th & Florida Ave NE). The page talks about plans for a YMCA & an ampitheater (these don't sound like much of a fit to me). The redevelopment plan for the area is supposed to include the existing market. Also see this article from the Common Denominator.

Has anyone been to the Italian Market in Philadelphia? The Italian Market is great because it remains very much a real market (not excessively Disneyfied), but has a few cafes & coffee shops. I love it because you can buy all kinds of stuff there (it has a couple of great cheese shops) & it's just a really fun way to spend a morning/afternoon.

6 Comments:

it's crazy how much development money is pouring into the city...this year's mayoral race may be the most heavily financed ones ever...i sure am glad the $1 billion school renovation plan passed...it's a shame so many of these schools barely look inhabitable, let alone like a learning environment...

The New Towns proposal for the Market area is merely a concept put out by someone who owns a couple properties. Many of the other land owners are not in favor, including the owner of the cinder block Wholesale Farmer's Market, and it isn't necessarily an asset-based plan.

Certainly, it is a bastardization of what was proposed in the Cluster 23 Economic planning proposal, to focus revitalization efforts around the food orientation of the market, to build on the assets that are there.

A revitalization strategy is based on assets, while what is proposed is more "urban renewal"--clearance and 100% rebuild. The fact of the matter is that commercial rents in rebuild situations price out, for the most part, independents.

Thanks for the heads up on the Strip District. I'll check it out when I'm there in October.